[Editor's Note: This article originally ran in the November 2011 issue of Grassroots Motorsports.]
Around the turn of the millennium, the U.S. motorsports scene went bonkers for what was deemed the hottest thing ever: drifting. It wasn’t really new, as rear-wheel-drive cars had been kicking their tails out since they were invented, but drifting was relegated to fringe interest in …
Is drifting still a thing?
It seems I haven't heard of it in years....
In reply to fanfoy :
Very much so. Formula Drift is entering its 16th season with bigger crowds every year. And I see grassroots events popping up here there and everywhere. I've been going to FD for the past 6 years and its a blast, its the only motorsports event I religiously attend as a spectator.
I went to last year's Orlando FD and, yeah, totally packed--lots of families, lots of people. Big-buck efforts and amateurs.
fanfoy said:Is drifting still a thing?
It seems I haven't heard of it in years....
My car club (or, rather, our affiliate "club") just ran a drift event in the parking lots at Dover Speedway. We help them put on 2-3 events per year.
They had somewhere between 50-60 cars come, from stock stuff to serious homebuilt drift killers. Burned through a lot of tires and put a lot of rubber down on the pavement.
In reply to NickD :
agreed, drifting is alive and well.
Gridlife is one of the few places where you see core GRM content happening and you will also find drifting. Drifting is THE spectator sport of the Gridlife Festival events.
Seeing it up close in 2018 at Gridlife Midwest festival gave me a new appreciation for drifting after following it pretty closely in the 05-08 timeframe before I went off to college and it became harder to follow.
the crazy setup work and engineering needed to build the top level drift cars combined with the car control needed is something to behold when you see it up close.
I find drifting to be the new age monster trucks. Yes it takes talent, yes it takes engineering skill. But at the end of the day, to me it's just a pageant show.
It's hard for me to view drifting as a sport, in the traditional view of motorsports. It's more of an automotive culture or scene. That said, I can't deny its popularity or entertainment value. With motorsports losing popularity each year due either to expense or "car guys" aging out, it's great to see something that the younger crowd engages with and can get involved with on a reasonable budget. I will also freely admit that it's a very difficult skill to master, and that the really good drivers and cars are very impressive.
JesseWolfe said:I find drifting to be the new age monster trucks. Yes it takes talent, yes it takes engineering skill. But at the end of the day, to me it's just a pageant show.
So stop analyzing it so closely. Take a step back and just enjoy the spectacle for what it is. 1000hp cars inches away from each others doors entering a corner at a 75 degree angle and 90+mph is a hell of a show.
In reply to JesseWolfe :
It's the automotive version of the "ribbon onna stick" event in the Olympics.
I don't get it, some folks do.
In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :
Drifting is a motorsport in the same way that Gymnastics or Figure Skating are Olympic sports
It's a judged competition based upon a display of skill.
Just because Speed skating and Formula 1 exist, they don't take away from the judged events.
In reply to NickD :
If two racing events were being held on the same day, one being a national level drift event with umbrella girls and all, the other event being an SCCA Rallycross event in some farmers back field. I know which one I'd choose.
While Formula Drift is great for accessibility (its here in the US, they have them all over the country, they livestream on Youtube), if you want to see the absolute best, you need to watch Drift Masters European Championship. They air it on the Red Bull TV app. It's invitation-only and they only pick the absolute best (with local wild cards being added to each venue to mix it up), the lack of competition time outs and a 2 minute limit between crossing the finish and being back at the starting line keeps the action rolling, and the draconian judging and rule of only allowing one One More Time means that the action is all top quality, plus the courses are pretty long, very challenging and a bit on the sketchy side. It's raw, it's brutal, it's fast and the match-ups are usually pretty bloodthirsty. Oh, and they race in all weather, no delays, the mindset essentially being "you're the best of the best, rain shouldn't bother you, so get out there."
My B-I-Laws nephew is into 240SX's and just cut out the firewall in his car and is replacing it to make it RHD.
I'm impressed at the work a 23 year old kid is tackling in his home garage. I'm excited to see the youngsters carrying on the car hobby.
Yes, lotta engineering. It's one of the few places left that allows innovation as it doesn't feature homologated cars. Last year we met up with Dai Yoshihara and checked out his BRZ.
Drifting is my favorite motorsport to watch or attend. F1 being second and Rally being third. It's rather hard for me to watch autocross, it's boring to watch or attend as a spectator. But I ain't knocking it
For me drifting is the Ice Dancing of motorsports.
Anytime a person declares the winner. The results are suspect. Take any "ball" sports referee\player scandle and what that did to "sport".
Also, when is a sport considered a sport and when is it entertainment?
And the perceived "outlaw" lifestyle? Really? (a decade on; HBO presents "Drifters of Anarchy")
In reply to BarryNorman :
What pro sport isn't for entertainment?
Take away the spectators and the sponsors and money go away.
The grassroots/amateur level is where the competition is more pure and done for a love of the game.
Most motorsport events have been regulated to the point of boredom. Drifting is a tiny beacon of excitement and tire smoke in a haze of mediocrity.
To me, drifting is like a skatepark comp.
The sport really needs revamped. The high levels have bastardized and monetized everything. The fun is gone. Needs to be 200hp, four cylinders. No tube frames at all. Stock pickup points. No aero. Street tires. Bring back to a grass roots level. Gee... this sounds like a rant about nascar...
Vajingo said:The sport really needs revamped. The high levels have bastardized and monetized everything. The fun is gone. Needs to be 200hp, four cylinders. No tube frames at all. Stock pickup points. No aero. Street tires. Bring back to a grass roots level. Gee... this sounds like a rant about nascar...
Why does it need a revamp? At a pro level, it has higher attendance counts than ever, its not sliding into obscurity like NASCAR is. And most of your "revamps" are already long-standing existing rules. They may have tubular bash bars front and rear for ease of repair/replacement in crashes, as well as safety, and rollcages but they are not tube chassis cars. They also have stock suspension pickup points (in fact, Vaughn Gittin Jr got penalized for a relocated suspension pickup point 2 or 3 years back). Also, aero really seems to just be a stylistic thing. James Deane's S15 Silvia has won 3 championships in a row and does not have a huge front splitter, nor does it have a huge rear wing (just a Rocket Bunny ducktail). Same with Fredric Aasbo's Scions, which won a championship, nor did Chris Forsberg's two-time championship winning 370Z. Same with Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Chelsea Denofa's Mustangs. Mike Essa's championship-winning E46 was literally a stock-body E46. And most of them are running street tires. There are tons of people running Nitto NT05s and Falken RT-615K+ and Nexen N Fera SUR4Gs and Hankook RS-4s on the street (the SCCA even calls them street tires and they are legal in Street class), and those currently are all tires that most competitors are running.
Approved tires for Formula D Pro class:
NickD said:While Formula Drift is great for accessibility (its here in the US, they have them all over the country, they livestream on Youtube), if you want to see the absolute best, you need to watch Drift Masters European Championship. They air it on the Red Bull TV app. It's invitation-only and they only pick the absolute best (with local wild cards being added to each venue to mix it up), the lack of competition time outs and a 2 minute limit between crossing the finish and being back at the starting line keeps the action rolling, and the draconian judging and rule of only allowing one One More Time means that the action is all top quality, plus the courses are pretty long, very challenging and a bit on the sketchy side. It's raw, it's brutal, it's fast and the match-ups are usually pretty bloodthirsty. Oh, and they race in all weather, no delays, the mindset essentially being "you're the best of the best, rain shouldn't bother you, so get out there."
Is the app free to use or subscription? The way you described that series has me interested!
z31maniac said:NickD said:While Formula Drift is great for accessibility (its here in the US, they have them all over the country, they livestream on Youtube), if you want to see the absolute best, you need to watch Drift Masters European Championship. They air it on the Red Bull TV app. It's invitation-only and they only pick the absolute best (with local wild cards being added to each venue to mix it up), the lack of competition time outs and a 2 minute limit between crossing the finish and being back at the starting line keeps the action rolling, and the draconian judging and rule of only allowing one One More Time means that the action is all top quality, plus the courses are pretty long, very challenging and a bit on the sketchy side. It's raw, it's brutal, it's fast and the match-ups are usually pretty bloodthirsty. Oh, and they race in all weather, no delays, the mindset essentially being "you're the best of the best, rain shouldn't bother you, so get out there."
Is the app free to use or subscription? The way you described that series has me interested!
Yep. Its a little hard to navigate, but it works pretty well.
https://www.redbull.com/int-en/channels/best-of-red-bull-stream
Its an amazing series. The 2020 season is about to start (August 14th-15th at Riga) and you can go back and watch previous seasons on there as well. The Japanese may have invented drifting, but in my mind, the Europeans have perfected it. The Irish and Polish drivers are unstoppable forces of nature.
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